Vent closure



y 13, 1958 J. E. CRUTE, JR 2,834,278

VENT CLOSURE Filed Sept. 26, 1955 I I. Z M 20/ 44 g I 'W w INVENTOR MMAZ W ATTORNEY United States Patent Cfiice 2,834,278 Patented May 13, 1958 VENT CLOSURE James Edmonson Crute, Jr., Wilson, N. C.

Application September 26, 1955, Serial No. 536,713

8 Claims. (Cl. 9829) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in a ventilator closure or cover and more particularly to such improvements in a closure or shutter for a ventilator grill as frequently found in building foundations, although the closure may be applied to other forms of ventilating openings.

It has been the usual practice, in summer time, to leave the ventilator grills open for circulation of air to cool the building. During the winter time, it has been customary to close these vents not only to prevent cold air from entering the building, but also to prevent cold air from damaging the foundation plumbing. Often such vents have been closed by boards or the like which are destroyed upon removal and replaced by new ones when the vent is to be again sealed. Also, there have been provided vent closures with suitable fastening means for holding the vent closure to the grillwork.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a vent closure, substantially of the above type, which provides an insulated covering for the vent to effectively seal the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide an insulated vent closure in the form of a housing within which may be provided a dead air insulating space or within which there may be packed a suitable insulating material.

A further object of the invention is to provide a ventilated vent closure wherein there is provided a mounting device passing through the closure mounting the same, as by engagement with the grillwork but without destroying the insulation properties provided by the closure.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a vent closure substantially of the above type wherein the mounting device comprises a fastener element passing through a sealing conduit within the housing so that its insulating properties are maintained.

The invention still further aims to provide an insulated vent closure substantially of the above type which is relatively simple in construction; which is conveniently'manufactured; which is light in weight and which may be readily installed without separate fixtures and without the use of separate tools or the like.

The above and other objects of the invention will impart the obvious and will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevation showing the exterior surface of a wall of a building with the insulated vent closure applied over the vent opening, and Fig. 2 is an enlarged section, taken substantially along the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the insulated vent closure in position over the wall opening and secured to the grillwork mounted therein.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, there is shown a building wall 10 which may be the building foundation or any other portion of the wall. There is provided a vent opening 12 through the wall 10 and a grill member 14 is suitably mounted within the opening l2. As is customary, the grillwork is provided with openings 16 therethrough and a part of the grillwork may be provided with elongated openings, such as at 18, 18a, for a purpose to be hereinafter pointed out.

The vent closure which is conveniently applied to the exterior surface of the wall 10, as reference is particularly made to Fig. 2, includes a flat closing wall portion 20 terminating in a peripheral edge 22. The vent closure also includes an outer housing portion 23 including peripheral side walls 24 and a closing or sealing wall 26 which is spaced outwardly from the wall portion 20. The peripheral free edges of the side walls 24 may be secured in any suitable manner, as at 28, to the wall portion 20, the edge 22 of which provides a flange projecting peripherally outwardly of the side walls 24. There is provided a sealing gasket 30 which may be of sponge rubber or other suitable material, and which extends around the peripheral edge flange 22 of the wall portion 20 and which is adapted for sealing engagement with the adjacent surface of the wall 10 around the opening 12 therethrough.

Extending between the wall portions 20, 26, is a tubular conduit or sleeve 32 suitably sealed to the adjacent inner surfaces of the wall portions 20, 26, and providing a seal for the interior thereof. A bolt 34 extends through the sleeve 32 and terminates in a right-angled end portion 36 which may, if desired, be formed with a hooked end 38. The other threaded end 40 of the securing bolt 34 receives a wing nut 42 or the like, which cooperates with a sealing plastic washer 44 when the closure is mounted in closing position.

The wall portions 20, 24, 26 form therewithin an in sulating space 46 which may be a dead air space or which may be filled with a suitable insulating material. The openings in the walls 20, 26 through which the bolt 34 extends are sealed by the sleeve member 32 against the same so that external air does not gain access to the insulating chamber 46.

To mount the vent closure in a sealing position with respect to the wall opening 12, the angular end of the bolt may, if only a small angle is employed, be threaded through one of the standard openings 16 in the vent so as to engage the inner surface of the grillwork. On the other hand, if an elongated angular end, such as at 36, is employed, this end may be projected through one of the elongated openings 18, 18a and turned slightly to engage the inner surface of the grillwork. Where the hooked end 38 is employed, the bolt may be turned so that this hooked end will engage one of the grill openings 16, thus to anchor the bolt 34 against turning. The threaded end of the bolt 34 is then passed through the sleeve portion 32 in the vent closure by proper manipulation thereof and the closure is then positioned with the sealing gasket 30 in engagement with the face of the Wall around the vent opening therethrough. The washer 44 and wing nut 42 are then applied to the threaded end 40 of the bolt 34 and the wing nut is screwed tight to compress the gasket 30 and to thus mount the vent closure in sealing position. The washer 44 also serves to seal the interior of the sleeve 32. Removal of the vent closure may be accomplished in an equally simple manner by merely removing the wing nut 42 and then removing the vent closure from the bolt, after which the bolt may be properly manipulated so that it can be removed from engagement with the grillwork.

In addition to sealing the space within the housing structure of the vent closure, the sleeve 32 also serves to maintain the inner and outer wall portions 20, 26, respectively, in properly spaced relationship even upon excessive tightening of the wing nut on the bolt. The sponge rubber gasket 30 serves to seal against the wall surface around the opening 12 even though there may be some irregularity therein and the laterally extending flange 22 of the housing structure may also flex slightly, as indeed the entire ,3 housing structure m y fle w e formed of. snjtableplastic material, to also additionally compensate for any irregularities which may be encountered on the surface of the Wall aroundtheonen-ingdl tonven e tlymhe boltfielwwhere a ing e bolt i mployed, i nis osedeentrally-of the vent closure for balance in mounting-theysamfl in sealing position. However, :where the ventrclosure: may. be of rather large dimensions, additional mounting :b,o1ts-;may.heemloyedand with each,:bolt :there-willbe a sealing sleeve, such as the sleeve32, to maintain, the interior oft-he housing structure'sealed. :The;sealing:sleeve 32 may also be of plastic material but in someinstances,maybomadeof metal .or the like to,give,.additional strength.

The housing .stnueture: constituted (by the wall ,portions 20, 24, 2,,6-rnay lie-formed ofvany suitableurnaterialtand secured :together, intsuitable manner, as by weldingiif a weldable metal, is: employed. However, it: is preferred to construct theventclosure, that is, the, entire housing-strucr of pla material .so ,as .tmreduce its weight and render the same easily handled, and in ,such vcases the peripheraled-gesof theside wallsll may hesolvent welded to the wall portion.20 bymseofsuitable solvents-forthe particular plastic materials which maybe employed. -As examples of some plastiernaterials, the housingstructure may be formed of.polyeth ylene- ,of ,suificient. thickness. .to reduce its resiliency; polystyrene; the ,acrylic base. resins, such, as methylmethacrylate resins sold .nnderthe. trade names of Lu cite;.and,Plexiglas. Solvents which may be employed may be selected fromthe'lower 'ketones, ester solvents, aromatic hydrocarbonaphenols, aliphatic, chloroy 'nst ae tals. an the like.

As indicated, the space 46 within the housingstructure may beva dead ,airlsp-ace orit maybe filled with .a,suitable insulating material. Some of theplastic materialsarc transparent so that the vent closure willadmitdight even though sealing the vent opening. Where the. admission of light is,desired,,,the1insu1atingffilling, if employedsshould be similarly selected for thepurpose A vent closure approximating a little less than two 'feet inlength; about eight inches in width, with the housing area approximatin two inches,;and employingplastic wall thicknesses of about one-half of an inch,,provides insulation equivalent to approximately eight to ten inches ,of brickwork. Thus, it will be seen that the vent closure, although extremely light and easilyjhandied, neverthelessprovides an effective insulated seal and one which may valso beformed to admit light, if desired.

While one form of the inventionihas'been shown'for purposes of illustration, it is to be clearly understood that various changes. in thedetails of construction and arrangementof parts may be made without :departingfrom the scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: 1 A weathertight and insulated vent closure for the grill vent opening of a building .wall. or the like, and comprising a base wall adapted to be disposed adjacent the buildingwall, an inner wall having peripheral side walls sealed to said base wall within the peripheral edgesthereof to leave aperipheral flange portion, agasket carried by said flange portion for engagement with .the buildingwall surface around the vent opening'therethrough, the said walls providing an interior sealed insulating space, the base and inner walls having aligned openings therethrough, a sealing sleeve traversing itheinsulating space in line with said openings and sealedto the'base'an'cl inner walls adjacent the openings ,therethrough to maintain the insulating space in sealed condition, and a bolt member extending through said sealing sleeve and substantially filling the same, said bolt having an angular end adapted for engagement with the grill in the opening, and a fastener element engaging the opposite end of the bolt to press the closure against the building wall with the gasket in sealing engagement with the wall surface around the vent opening therethrough.

2. A weather tightand insulated vent closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the walls of the housing are formed of lightweight plasticmaterial withtheflange portion slightly --fiexible to accommodate irregularities in ,the building wall surface.

3. A weather tight and insulated vent closure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bolt member is provided with a hooked end passing through an opening in the grill and with the hooked end engageable with the grill.

4. A weather ti ghband insulated -vent closure for the grill .vent opening. of a building-wall or the like-and comprisinga-base walladaptedto being disposed adjacent the ,buildingwalhand to close thevventopening, an inner .wall spaced from the base wall,,pe1ipheral .walls joining the base and inner walls and providing therewithan interior insulating space, the base and inner walls having, generally centrally disposed aligned openingstherethrough, means formaintainiug the spacing. between the base and-inner walls and includinga generally centrally disposedsealing sleevetraversing the insulating space in line with said alignedopenings and sealed to the base and inner walls aroundthe aligned openings to maintain the insulating space in sealed condition,,and fastener means extending through said sealing, sleeve and having means atoneend thereof for engagement with the grill in the ventopening and having means at the opposite end thereof engageable with the closure to ,press the same against the building wall around the vent opening vtherethrongh.

5. A weather tight and insulated vent closure asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the fastener means includes anelon- -gatedbolt member extending through said sealing sleeve "for engagement with the, grill, and wherein fastener means at the opposite endof the bolt serve to seal the adjacent end of the sealing sleeve.

6. A weather tight and insulated vent closure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the peripheral walls are formed integral with the inner wall with thefree edges of the peripheral walls in sealedcontact with the base wall.

7. A weather tight and insulated vent closure as claimed in claim 6, wherein thewallsare formed ,of translucent plastic material.

.8. A weather tight and insulated vent closure as'claime'd in claim 4, wherein the base wall includes a-gaskctsupporting formation, and wherein a gasket is -associated' with said supporting formationforcooperationwith the building wall to provide a seal around the openingtherethrough.

'ReferenceszCited in' thefilc ,of'this patent UNITED 'STATES PATENTS 2,328,288 Merrill Aug..3l, 1943 2,343,764 Fuller Mar. 7, l944 2,451,286 Heritage Oct. ,12, 1948 2,704,935 Uddenborg Mar. 29, I955 FOREIGN PATENTS 465,977 'GreatBritain May 20, 1937 507,310 'GreatBritain June 19, 193-9 586,341 Great Britain Mar. 14, 1947 

